HUMN 3067 Power, Politics and Knowledge

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Credit Points 10

Legacy Code 200752

Coordinator Patty Hodgson Opens in new window

Description Please note that this unit is no longer on offer. Please contact business.courses@uws.edu.au or phone (02) 9685 9200 for further information. The aim of this unit is to provide students with a thorough grasp of the complex relationships between power, politics and knowledge in organisational settings. It also highlights the need for managers to use power ethically and equitably in workplaces. These aims are addressed through an examination of a range of theories of power, and topics such as: distribution and exercise of power in organisations, organisational politics, gender and power, language and power, resistance to power, and others. Innovative class activities and assessment methods (e.g., brainstorming; storytelling; film analysis) are used in this unit to ensure that students are able to effectively apply theoretical concepts to real life situations.

School Business

Discipline Sociology

Student Contribution Band HECS Band 4 10cp

Check your HECS Band contribution amount via the Fees page.

Level Undergraduate Level 3 subject

Equivalent Subjects LGYB 9015 - Power Politics and Knowledge BUSM 3056 - Power Politics and Knowledge

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this subject, students should be able to:
  1. Explain the links between power, politics and knowledge.
  2. Critically appraise various classical and contemporary theories of power.
  3. Apply elements of various theories of power to organisational events.
  4. Explain the operation of power at micro- and macro levels.
  5. Analyse patterns of distribution and operation of power in organisational settings.
  6. Reflect on the importance of using power ethically in organisational settings

Subject Content

Unit overview/Introducing the notion of power.
Theories of power ? past and present.
Power elites.
Organisational power.
Organisational politics.
Power and leadership.
Power and ethics.
Language and power.
Resistance to power.
Subtle forms of power.
Gender and power: Are women as powerful as men in work settings?
Online discussion (exam preparation).
Summary and conclusions.

Teaching Periods

Structures that include subject